More corruption cases

Hot on the heels of the 23 year / 5 million rial sentence that the ex Oman Oil Company CEO got last week, the courts have handed down another couple of sentences this week. The first one was to Adel Al Kindi, former CEO of the Oman Refinery Company before it was merged with Sohar Refinery, Aromatics Oman and Oman Polypropylene to form Oil Refineries and Petroleum Industries Company (Orpic).

Mr Al Kindi got 3 years in jail, a fine of 1 million rials and dismissal from Government service for 30 years - he was accused (and found guilty of) abuse of office and for accepting a bribe from Mr Faithi Alaaiddin (of CCC - Consolidated Contracting Company) to "facilitate CCC-Oman operations". He demanded 10% of a $15 million Contract but eventually agreed to 5%, and got paid $750,000 by CCC-Dubai.

Mr Al Kindi was a very prominent business man, he is (was?) a member of the State Council (which is the HM appointed upper house of Parliament), a founding member and board member of Bank Nizwa (he staked 1 million rials when it started), and perhaps the most amusing given this news, on the board of Galfar.

Now, it appears that the chaps at CCC have been very naughty boys, because in a second case involving Mr Faithi Alaaiddin (former Managing Director of CCC-Oman) and his colleague Rizq Mustafa (also an executive at CCC) were also found guilty of bribing Qasim al Shizawi, director-general of ports in the Ministry of Transport and Communications.

Mr al Shizawi was found guilty of accepting a RO 200,000 bribe from CCC for fixing the award of a number of Duqm area contracts to CCC. His sentence is 3 years and a RO 750,000 fine for accepting the bribe.

And the boys from CCC? They both got 3 years, Mr Alaaiddin got RO 500,000 and Mr Mustafa got RO 300,000 fines, along with deportation back to their native Egypt at the end of their stay at the Sumayil Shangri-La. The MD of CCC, Alaaiddin, will have his sentence commuted to 6 months and then deportation in light of cooperation in the case (source).

I wonder what will happen to those projects that are running with CCC right now?

A month ago, the National Gas Company announced that it's CEO, Goutam Sen, had been detained under charges of bribing a government official. So perhaps we'll hear more on that case in due course too.

Amusingly, neither Oman Oil Company, CCC, or Orpic have any press releases on their websites discussing the recent successful prosecutions of their very senior management, I guess technically al Kindi didn't work for Orpic so that's understandable. And perhaps the funniest of all, Galfar's last press release on their homepage is titled: Galfar MD bestowed 'Times group' award. If you go into their news section, the latest story is a 10 million Contract win though. Don't these organizations have a duty to acknowledge this? I guess not.

Speaking of Galfar, rumours are flying around town that Dr Ali has left Oman and is currently in India.... no idea if they are true or not though.

More soon.

le fin.

More corruption cases
Reviewed by Sythe
on
Tuesday, March 04, 2014
Rating: 5

28 comments:

Everything is from Reuters and Gulf News... I've linked my sources throughout the post. Except the Galfar rumour of Dr Ali where I clearly stated it was a rumour - but if there's a mistake above I want to fix that, please let me know here or you can email me on mrsythe@gmail.com

I WISH just WISH, for the sake of Omanis though, that the smaller bribes at the Minstry of Housing and Ministry of Manpower, and not just major dollars, were looked into, as they affect more citizens in the long run... Alas.

Mr. Sythe,Dr. Ali has NOT fled Oman. According to our more than credible sources in the Gulf region, both in Riyadh and Abu Dhabi, the judiciary presiding over the First Instance verdict had no choice but to convict. This occurred despite an overwhelming lack of material evidence. If our sources are to be believed, and we assure you that their intelligence gathering machinery is paramount, a bit of gamesmanship is afoot, and unfortunately for Dr. Ali and his family, he is a pawn in a very wicked game of geopolitical Chess. I wonder if those proselytizing about his wrongdoing indeed have a mind of their own, or if they are simply indignant, and as such a prone to disseminating unsubstantiated litigious drivel. There are far more significant fish in the corruption laden region than Dr. Ali. One can only be mindful and judicious in his or her own pursuit of the truth amid such tempestuous circumstances.

Looks like Dr. Ali's PR machine is alive and well. He got caught with his hand in the cookie jar. A few kind gestures do nothing to justify what the good, wise and fair courts of Oman and their investigators found.

What PR machine are you referring to? Nothing has been said on this forum relative to anything other than a lack of material evidence. Do you know any of the accused personally? I do not. I simply know what our solicitors and barristers have told us relative to the corruption cases currently being heard in the Omani Court. We have concerns as we seek to invest considerably in the region, and we simply wish to know; who is guilty, who is not, who is a scapegoat, and who is not.

I love English written in Victorian prose... You really should learn from a native speaker rather than a 50 year old textbook... Now Mr Anonymous, please 'do the needful' and take your nose out of Dr Ali's rear... That is all...

The true culprits in this debacle will be found out and punished to the maximum extent of the law. Dr. Mohammed Ali is being waylaid by brigands and it beggar's belief to think that reader would think otherwise.

I am hoping that we will see a kindly reversion to the norm where he will be back in good standing with everyone and not just the loyal faithful of this bastion of kindness and charitable works, helping so many school students with their passing out.

Actually, it is only a matter of time before we have updation. Basically it is like this only. And believe you me, he will be exonerated posthaste and we are clearing his good name. We are having the hopes of this literally.

@justicefinally: I'm sorry,but what the hell were YOU thinking when you typed all that?What's wrong in the person who brought up the school and built its reputation, on presiding over the graduation ceremony and giving a moral speech to students?Why shouldn't the principal of the school hold a prayer if they believe he is innocent?Haters gonna hate.@Anonymous 6.35: Typical of his kind?What is that supposed to mean?Sure, doing many good things is no justification for being excused from the law, but why hasn't it occurred to you that in all the other cases the CEO's were convicted?This being a public company, can he act alone? Has no one really come across situations where "wastas" are demanded? THINK.

@Anonymous 10.39 I was thinking it gives a wrong message to the students that a corrupt man is giving them a speech about being moral."if they believe he is innocent?" haha are you kidding me? You are definitely one of his lackeys!

He was tried in court and after all through investigation was found GUILTY.

Wow ! Looks like whoever is in the news every body still wants to still talk about Dr Ali and if he is really innocent it not.

Everyone -all these cases except the wahibi case was tried in the first instance court. In all these cases, every single person has appealed which means the judgement is NOT final !

All these cases, the judge was the same. A 35 year old Yusuf felaiti who has a wonderful reputation of his own. He is considered a complete "idiot" amongst the lawyer circles and someone who "enjoys" giving out harsh punishments to appease the public sentiments. Lawyers generally don't take his court too seriously and prefer fighting it out at the appeal court.

Lets all wait till the appeal court verdict before starting to pass unnecessary comments about a few individuals and trying to add to the unnecessary rumour mongering.

And remember when these individuals are on appeal, they really can do and go to places wherever they wish. It does not matter of it is a school, a mosque or a nightclub. As long as they are not breaking any rules or law, it really is none of our business.

Let us not act highly and mighty at this point. No one is above the law. I hope everyone out there does get a fair and just trial in the appeal court.

please don't even talk about " thorough" investigation. The investigations that were done in three particular cases were nothing but forced testimonies with a lot of cruelty that violates basic human rights by the public prosecution. If the Omanis want to continue to believe that they live in a peaceful and a just country as opposed to a police state , they can continue to fool themselves. These trials are nothing but a pathetic farce to appease the Arab spring sentiment. If they really want to get the bottom of this, why are we not hearing any of the big names of the ministers being called in ? Everyone knows who they are and how much money has been made. Why not start with them ? Why point fingers at people who are victims of the system ? If anything these were the people who actually have something to show for their work not sit and piggy bank on other people success and be a collection point for wastas.

Generally as a rule in most companies they do not publish bad news or news that are not in favor on their websites. I think the heads of the companies leave to to people like you and your gossip columns to trash everyone. :) since these blogs HAVE the moral responsibility to educate the masses and make them aware of exactly what is going on In their countries including pathetic rumours..

Oh I get it now - Dr Ali wasn't actually helping himself and it was all a put up job as part of a geopolitical machination and he was entirely innocent and the Police, the Public Prosecutor, and the Judge all conspired to lock up this exemplary person along with half a dozen others for their own evil reasons in order to distract attention away from the real culprits. Obvious when it's pointed out like that isn't it.

@Omani Princess - I agree with you to some extent but until they stamp down on the big name corruption they have no chance of dealing with the everyday sort because if the big names do it it is accepted.

Perhaps it would be best to reserve your judgement untill the appeal is done.

If you have so much faith in the judiciary system of this country then wait till the whole process gets over. Makes sense ?

Whatever information we are getting is from state controlled new papers and however much we don't want to accept it, Oman is a police state. We should understand that there IS another version of the story that we are not getting to hear.

Not everybody that has been caught is innocent but not everybody who has been made to look bad is guilty either.

"We should understand that there IS another version of the story that we are not getting to hear."

Rubbish! These days, Oman is a 'social media' state. Any alternative stories would have very quickly made their way to the likes of Twitter and Facebook.

Bribes and graft are par for the course here in Oman. If you want a contract and you want to do well, money has to change hands with those who have been put into the position of being able to make or break your future fortunes.

From the corrupt in power, to the taxi driver in Qurum, Omanis in general have a propensity to bend the rules and make a few extra rials. It is safe to say "It's who they are."

As Wilfred Thesiger said in his book Arabian Sands: "...no Bedouin thinks it shameful to beg and that often he will look at the gift he has received and say ‘Is this all you are going to give me?’… In my more bitter moments I thought that Bedouin life was one long round of cadging and being cadged from.”

I am not saying that the bribe was NOT exchanged... But I am asking if they indeed got the right person. Some of these companies are public companies where only individuals have been convicted. That is wrong.

And you can fool yourself saying that everything is available in the arabic media..,, even that my dear ignorant friend is monitored and controlled. That is precisely why we are all behind anonymous screens and saying what we have to say...

All of them deserve their sentences.Honestly though, this cant come as a surprise to the citizens and residents of Oman.If you've lived here as long as I have, you will have realized how there are just a handful of these large companies that run the show in their respective fields,not because of their accumalated business accumen,but purely because of their reach and financial capabilities.We just dont care, and assume this is how the world and businesses work until of course,inevitably, it affects the industry we are in or our lives directly.What annoys me most is how these people portray themselves as exemplary businessmen and collect their awards without fail when they are really just a bunch of lazy,incompetent executives who are afraid of small hardworking players in the game.

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